Jim Doyle- Promises made, Promises broken

Well folks- it's election season again. Every couple of years, the requests for money and support start showing up in our mailboxes and emails from politicians. Those requests for money from politicians are like death and taxes, we know they are coming and we brace ourselves for them.

Just like in years past, the elections of 2006 are of vital importance. This year we vote for a governor for our state. Just like in 2002, Jim Doyle is asking for our support.

As this next election season began to rev up, I thought I would go back and take a look at the promises made to us by Governor Jim Doyle and see how he has faired in keeping the promises that he made.

On Inaugural day, January 6, 2003, Jim Doyle stood up in front of the state of Wisconsin and gave an entire list of promises to all of us. Over the next several weeks and months, we, the voters will get decide if Jim Doyle kept these promises to us.

From Jim Doyle's inaugural speech, Jim Doyle (highlighted in blue) promised to:

1. from here on out, state government will move forward by bringing people together, not by dividing them. That means we'll approach problem-solving not as Republicans and Democrats, not as business and labor, but as citizens of one state, headed - together - towards one future. (Never have we ever seen the conservatives and the liberals so divided. Governor Doyle's veto pen has highlighted those differences. When the time comes to over-ride a veto- the Democrats stay loyal to Doyle, the Republicans stay loyal to each other.)

Outcome: this promise was broken to Wisconsinites

2. Making sure our kids go to even better schools and universities. (Just this past week a study was released on the graduation rate in Milwaukee Schools. Milwaukee rates as the #4 worst city graduating seniors on the first try, with a 43.1% graduation rate. On a positive note, UW Madison has been named the #1 PARTY school in the nation. Yikes!)

Outcome: this promise was broken to Wisconsinites

3. Helping create good, high paying jobs that let people enjoy a good life. (Let's see, just in Kenosha alone, big companies like Snap-On and Powerbrace have moved their production lines out of the state. Kenosha's Chrysler plant just lost one of it's main engine lines- which means another 250 high paying jobs will be lost in the next several weeks)

Outcome: this promise was broken to Wisconsinites

4. Not raising taxes on the hardworking people of Wisconsin who already pay their fair share. (Property taxes alone have increased by $600 million under Governor Doyle's watch)

Outcome: this promise was broken to Wisconsinites

5. Helping usher in new high tech and information-age businesses. (Within the last week, Wisconsin's #1 high tech software company, Red Prairie, has announced that they may be leaving the state for greener pastures in another state.)

Outcome: this promise was broken to Wisconsinites

6. Keeping our citizens safe on their streets and in their neighborhoods. (Everyone has heard about the 28 shooting in Milwaukee alone during Memorial Day weekend. Doyle's answer- he created a new HUG-A-THUG program to give away Brewer's tickets to gang members. ENOUGH SAID!)

Outcome: this promise was broken to Wisconsinites

7. Protecting Wisconsin's incredible environment - our rivers, our lakes and our streams. (When I first read this- my mind went immediately to MMSD and their sewage dumping. Has Governor Doyle done or said anything yet about the millions of gallons of raw sewage that MMSD continues to dump into Lake Michigan?)

Outcome: this promise was broken to Wisconsinites

8. Listening carefully for the quiet voices - our seniors, those in desperate need of health care, our fellow citizens held back by poverty. (Since Doyle has become governor, we have become #1. Wisconsin in the #1 state in the United States for being the absolute worst state to retire in.)

Outcome: this promise was broken to Wisconsinites

9. From here on out, restoring Wisconsin's reputation for clean and honest government will be a sacred commitment, not an empty and neglected rhetorical flourish. (Georgia Thompson! From the looks of things, there are many more of these "pay to play" political games in Doyle's future. ENOUGH SAID!)

Outcome: this promise was broken to Wisconsinites

Judging by Governor Jim Doyle's own promises; his leadership in the state of Wisconsin has not been stellar. Every promise Jim Doyle made, Jim Doyle has broken.

The question that Wisconsinites have to ask themselves is whether or not we should give Jim Doyle four more years as the governor of this state or should we try and head in a new direction?